Behind All the Finger-Pointing

After eight months during which he seemed to float happily beyond the reach of his critics, George W. Bush found himself in danger of sinking last week. As clues and warnings about the Sept. 11 plot came to light and the need to assign blame grew stronger, fingers began pointing toward the White House. Bush was in an unaccustomed position--on the defensive against the Democrats, who seemed more energized than they had been in a year. But he responded with a counterattack that turned out to be a dazzling example of Bush Family Combat.